2024 Movie
Dir. Ben Taylor · United Kingdom · English
An effective, if a bit tame, historical drama celebrating the discovery of IVF
Given the current tension around reproductive health issues, it should be no surprise that Joy might feel rather tame. To a certain extent, it is, as in vitro fertilization doesn’t have the same controversies compared to abortion. But it does hold some of the same questions, asked through straightforward dialogue from screenwriter Jack Thorne and an effective, if a bit by-the-numbers approach from director Ben Taylor. With strong performances from Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie, and James Norton, Joy does have a tinge of schmaltz in its approach, but nevertheless celebrates the real life creators and the believers that made IVF all possible, in spite of the fear surrounding the then-new technology.
A young nurse, a visionary scientist and an innovative surgeon face opposition from the church, state, media and medical establishment, in their pursuit of the world’s first ‘test tube baby’, Louise Joy Brown.
"Neither the deficiencies of Thorne’s script nor the made-for-TV feeling of Taylor’s direction ever fully obscure the enduringly relevant principle they exist to serve."
— David Ehrlich
"The film has an engagingly understated tone in look and performances, very stiff upper lip and carry on British."
— Nell Minow
Cambridge, late 1960s-1970s. In an effort to solve infertility in women, nurse Jean Purdy and Dr. Robert Edwards team up with surgeon Patrick Steptoe to create a new procedure that allows women to fertilize an egg outside the womb, though they face opposition from the church and their community.
The performances make this film.
Thinking about the eight million people that wouldn’t have been born without this method.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
Comments